Crystal Shadows
by Dragoon-sama
Summary: A continuation fic. Kuja disappears from the Iifa tree after sending Zidane away. Now, fourteen years later, he has reappeared, just in time to face off a strangly familiar evil. This time, though, he's not content to let it happen.
1. Prologue: The Rage of the Iifa Tree

Crystal Shadows  
By: Dragon-sama  
  
Summary: A continuation fic. Kuja disappears from the Iifa tree after sending Zidane away. Now, fourteen years later, he has reappeared, just in time to face off a strangly familiar evil. This time, though, he's not content to let it happen. A sort of fusion between the Final Fantasy VI, VIII, and IX worlds. Read, and enjoy!  
  
  
Prologue: The Rage of the Iifa Tree  
  
Time seemed frozen as the two brothers locked eyes. Kuja lay like a broken doll amidst the Iifa roots, Zidane a few feet away, suspended mid-air. The silver-haired genome could only stare in silent amazement, one thing flitting through his mind; 'Why?' One thing was flitting through the blonde genome's mind as well; 'This is REALLY going to hurt!'. The moment was broken, and Zidane went careening downward to impact on the ground below.  
  
"Ow..." Zidane moaned, picking himself painfully off of the ground. He shook his head to clear it. "Huh, still alive." Looking up, he scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "I guess that was pretty crazy." Suddenly remembering the reason for his moment of insanity, he gathered himself and made his way back up the root to where Kuja lay. "Hey! Are you alright?" he asked, braking sharply at the gap that separated him from the fallen genome.  
  
"Zidane...?" Kuja asked, opening his eyes and turning his head to regard the other. "What are you doing here? I thought I told you to go..." Regaining his balance, Zidane hopped the short distance and sat down next to him.  
  
"Wouldn't you do the same for me if you knew I was dying?" he asked, then mentally berrated himself. 'Right, Zidane. Why don't you just offer to bury the guy while you're at it.'  
  
Kuja merely turned his head away, trying to sort the jumbled feelings the question provoked. 'Would I? If only things worked that way.'  
  
Zidane was shaking his head dismissively, "...Nevermind."  
  
"Your comrades were able to escape?" Kuja asked, more out of curiosity than politeness. Zidane nodded.  
  
"Yeah....I knew you had something to do with it."  
  
"...I'm glad they made it." Kuja said simply. And he was. Zidane had a life to return to. And him...he only had death to look forward to.  
  
"Yeah, well...it's our turn to get movin'." Zidane said with an off-handed wave. Kuja turned his head back to fix him with a piercing stare. Seeing only earnest determination, he moved his gaze up towards the distant canopy.  
  
"...I don't deserve to live after all that I've done." he stated. "I'm useless to this world."  
  
"No one's useless..." Zidane said sharply, making a cutting gesture with one hand. "You helped us escape, remember?" Kuja was silent for a moment.  
  
"...After you guys beat me, I had nothing left...nothing to lose." he said, still staring overhead. "Then, I finally realized what it means to live...." His voice was softer now, touched with regret. "I guess I was too late." He closed his eyes, hoping Zidane would take the hint and leave.  
  
"Hn? Hey! Don't you go dying on me, alright!?" Zidane yelled, leaning over to check and see if his former enemy was, indeed, still alive. A shrieking from above made him glance up in alarm. Seeing the Iifa tendrils shooting towards them, he did the only thing he could think of and threw his body over Kuja's, knowing it was futile.  
  
'The self-less idiot. Looks like I'll have to bail him out again.' Kuja though, gathering what was left of his power. He teleported his brother as far as he was able, a split second before the Iifa tendrils hit. He felt the pillar he was resting upon crumble under the fierce onslaught. His world dissolved into pain, then...blackness.  
  
The tendrils whipped around angrily. Where Kuja once was, there was only a small ripple in the air, which quickly vanished.  
  
********************  
  
Author Notes: Well, this fic has been bugging me ever since I saw this scene. I mean, the instant Zidane did his matrix thing, this entire fic literally popped into my head! So here we go! Tell me what you think. Oh, and the Omake is courtesy of Starling! Go read our other fics.  
  
  
***Omake***  
  
Time seemed frozen as the two brothers locked eyes. Kuja lay like a broken doll amidst the Iifa roots, Zidane a few feet away, suspended mid-air. The silver-haired genome could only stare in silent amazement, one thing flitting through his mind; 'Why?' One thing was flitting through the blonde genome's mind as well; 'This is REALLY going to hurt!'. The moment was broken, and nothing happened.  
  
"Um, Zidane?" Kuja whispered, "You're supposed to fall!"  
  
"I'm trying!" Zidane hissed back, struggling slightly in mid-air.  
  
"Cut!" Dragon-sama called, storming onto the set. "Zidane, you idio--what the--send in the techs!"  
  
***To Be Continued*** 


	2. Chapter 01: Demons, Plays, and Arrivals

Crystal Shadows  
By: Dragon-sama  
  
  
Chapter 01: Demons, Plays, and Arrivals  
  
The world was dark, the blackness almost tangible in its intensity. Amidst the endless night loomed the demonic figure of Diablos, black, bat-like wings partially unfurled as he slowly descended. Though the blackness remained uniform and unbroken, Diablos stopped, apparently having come to some sort of destination. The Esper cast a burning glare around its domain before turning his attention to the unconscious figure in its grasp. Kuja hung limply, blood still flowing from wounds inflicted by the Iifa tendrils.  
  
"Wake up, mortal."  
  
He hurt. Gods how he hurt. Was he dead? No, death wasn't supposed to hurt. Or at least, he didn't think so. Maybe this was Hell.  
  
"I said wake up!"  
  
A voice? It sounded annoyed. Kuja frowned as he opened his eyes, uncomfortably aware that he was in the grip of something very large, and in no condition to do anything about it.  
  
"...I am awake." he said, surprised at how hoarse his voice sounded. He probably looked a mess as well.  
  
The devil creature lowered him down until his feet hit something solid. Stumbling forward, Kuja had to sink to one knee to fight off the dizziness.  
  
"Where am I?" he mumbled.  
  
"You are not dead, if that is what you fear," the deep voice said, seeming to come from everywhere at once. It sounded amused. Finally Kuja recovered enough to stand. Pulling the last shreds of his dignity together, he turned to face the towering entity, whom he assumed was the source of the voice.  
  
"I was not scared. Death does not frighten me." he said cooly, cursing himself mentally even as he did so. Now he sounded defensive. Was there anything to add to his total humiliation?  
  
"Of course not. You merely tried to destroy existence as we know it because you were bored." came the scathing reply.  
  
...Okay, make that guilty and humiliated.  
  
Kuja shook his head, "-Why- am I not dead? Garland," he practically spat the name out, "made it quite obvious I was soon to die."  
  
"That is not why I brought you here." the demon said, reaching forward and putting one enormous hand over Kuja's head. A moment later Kuja was enveloped in a warm feeling he recognized as a minor healing spell. It didn't do much for his flagging energy, but at least he wouldn't bleed to death now. Straightening again, the entity continued, "You have set certain events into motion that may result in the destruction of Gaia. I will send you to the culmination point. You may do what you wish from there."  
  
Almost immediately Kuja was surrounded by a glowing bubble. It lifted him off the ground and rose into the air following the movement of Diablos's hand. Kuja cursed and pushed futilely at the sides of the miniature prison.  
  
"What do you mean, the destruction of Gaia? What events?" he said, scowling in frustration.  
  
"It's time for you to go, Kuja." the demon said, preparing to send the genome off.  
  
"Wait! Who are you?" Kuja cried, desperate for answers. The demon paused, considering.  
  
"I am the Esper Diablos." he said simply, then with a wave of his hand, Kuja had vanished. Diablos was also gone. All that remained in the darkness was a severe looking middle-aged man.  
  
"Good luck, Son of Earth."  
  
***  
  
"Dad! C'mon, the play's gonna start!" Princess Pearl Tribal Til Alexandros the 18th was tapping her foot impatiently just outside the royal chambers of Alexandria castle. All that answered her was some muffled bangs and mild cursing. Pearl sighed, her tail flicking in annoyance. "Daaad! Mom's already out there!  
  
"I can't find my stupid crown!" Zidane said, looking ruffled as he opened the door and cast an exasperated look at his daughter.  
  
"You left it your bedroom, under the blue comfy! Honestly, old man. You'd think after ten years of being the King you'd be used to it by now." Zidane disappeared back into the room, and a moment later reappeared, thin, gold crown slightly askew atop his head.  
  
"Thanks, squirt!" he said, ruffling her hair affectionately. "Don't know what I'd do without you."  
  
"Probably wither away and die." she said cheerfully, smoothing her hair away from the horn growing from her forehead. "Now come on! They'll start without us!"  
  
"It's your birthday today, Pearl. How could they start without you?" Zidane laughed, following her as she skipped down the hall. Upon reaching the door, the two Alexandrian soldiers stationed to either side of it swung both leaves wide open. The noise of the crowd, before merely a backround murmer, now washed over the pair as they made their way down the red carpet to their seats. Garnet had been sitting watching the crowd, but now stood and smiled at them.  
  
"Pearl! Happy ninth birthday!" Garnet said, kissing her daughter on the cheek. "I see you've finally managed to drag your father out. Sometimes I think he's more vain than me."  
  
"He couldn't find his crown again." Pearl said haughtily. "I mean, I haven't even been alive as long as he's been king, and I still get it!"  
  
"It's not my fault!" Zidane cried defensively, "I'm a thief, not some stuck up noble."  
  
"Oh? So I'm just a stuck up noble then?" Garnet asked with a mock pout.  
  
"My darling Dagger, you could never be 'just' anything." he replied, pulling her into an embrace.  
  
"Mom! Dad! Stop it!" Pearl squealed in dismay. "People are watching!"  
  
"And they can continue to watch, for all I care." Zidane said, not even bothering to look embarrassed. Garnet smiled and stepped back, gesturing to their seats.  
  
"Shall we?" she asked.  
  
"Uncle Baku said I get to signal the start of the play." Pearl reminded her parents, not making any move to sit down.  
  
"You're absolutely right!" Zidane said, smacking forehead dramatically. "How could I forget?" and from his shirt he drew a thin firecracker, making Pearl squeal in delight. Zidane held it steady as his daughter took a firm grip on the string at the end, then she pulled hard. With a bang the firecracker roared over the heads of the crowd to explode over the theater ship, the Prima Vista II.  
  
Immediately the orchestra started playing, more firecrackers and sparklers going off as the stage slowly rose into view. The crowd went wild with applause and shouts at the spectacular display, and Zidane and Garnet smiled as they sat down, Pearl still jumping about in excitement. Baku, clad in kingly finery, strode onto the stage, and the crowd quieted to hear him.  
  
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Baku said with a bow, voice booming around the theater, "Tonight's performance is a story that takes place long, long ago. Our heroine, Gwindion, is an orphan child who set off into the world, determined to find her real parents. In her travels, she meets with Prince Keifer and the two fall deeply in love. But to her horror Gwindion discovers that the Prince is being manipulated by his evil uncle Duke Gastal."  
  
"Outraged and disbelieving of her tale, Prince Keifer banishes her from the kingdom. When our story begins, Gwindion has snuck into the castle in disguise, hoping to find some evidence of the Duke's treachery. And now, your Royal Majesties, Queen Garnet, King Zidane, Your Highness, Princess Pearl..." he pauses to bow at them, then continues to the crowd at large, "...noble ladies and lords, and our rooftop viewers, Tantalus proudly presents 'Life Is But A Chocobo Ride'!"  
  
"What ever happened to Tantalus, the band of rogues?" Garnet asked, laughing as she clapped enthusiastically for Ruby as she came on stage in her Gwindion outfit.  
  
"Blame Ruby!" Zidane said. "Her mini-theatre was getting too small for all the demands, so she blackmailed the rest of Tantalus to working for her. They just became more and more popular."  
  
"Just so long as they don't try to kidnap the princess this time." Garnet said, and Zidane grinned. The family settled back to watch to unfolding drama.  
  
***  
  
Kuja cursed silently as he stumbled onto the pavement. Whirling around he only briefly saw a ripple in the air before all trace of his strange arrival vanished. A roaring noise made him spin back around. He was greeting by the sight of an enourmous crowd cheering at what looked like some sort of play.  
  
"Wha--" he choked, stumbling backwards in confusion. Where was he? This obviously wasn't the Iifa tree, so where had that demon sent him? He looked wildy around, trying to find something to calm his mind. His gaze was inveritably drawn upward to where Alexander's sword gleamed brightly in the sunlight. Blue eyes widened in surprise, and he took another step back. How...?  
  
It was too much for Kuja to take in after all that had happened, and he turned and fled. He had to think, he had to get away...  
  
***  
  
"Uncle?! Hast thou truely been using me?" Prince Keifer, aka Blank, said, the picture of disbelief and hurt. Baku sneered back.  
  
"Aye! And thou art a fool to have trusted me so! As big a fool as your Father, may he rot in hell!" Baku cried, drawing his sword and pointing it threateningly at Blank. Blank responded in kind by drawing his own sword. Before the fight could being, Ruby stepped forward, throwing her hood back dramatically as she revealed herself to the prince.  
  
"My love! You must not dally here!" she said desperately, grabbing onto his arm. "Thine Uncle has not merely betrayed thee, but thine entire kingdom!"  
  
"Gwindion! You have returned to me, even after mine words of venom!" Blank said, turning his attention to her. "And with dire news indeed. How is it that my treacherous Uncle has proven even more so?"  
  
"My dear Keifer, your Uncle's betrayal knows no end! Forsooth, his goal was not thine throne, but revenge for an imagined wrong your father caused him!" Ruby said, waxing dramatically with each word.  
  
"Twas no minor slight your father cause me!" Baku cried, drawing attention back to him, "But such a transgretion mine honor was forever tarnished! And now, I bring my revenge upon thee!" And Baku attacked.  
  
Up in the royal box, Pearl was bouncing excitedly in her seat, totally engrossed in the play. Garnet was also obviously enjoying herself, and Zidane had to grin as the two most important girls in his life practically radiated their contentment. Letting his gaze travel away from the stage and over the crowd, Zidane caught a flash of silver. Jerking a bit in surprise, he sat up straight, craning his eyes to catch another glimpse of whatever it was that caught his attention. Another flash of silver and Zidane barely caught sight of the fleeing figure before it was gone.  
  
Sitting back in consternation, Zidane completely lost interest in the play. The figure had looked so familiar, but it couldn't be, could it? He'd died fourteen years ago. There had been no trace of him left, even after Zidane had searched the entire Iifa tree. So how was it possible for him to be here, now?  
  
Coming to a decision, he leaned over, voice loud enough to be heard over the cheering crowd, "I have to go do something, guys. I'll be right back, okay?"  
  
"Sure dad." Pearl said distractedly, "Oh, duck!" her hands flew to her mouth as Prince Keifer was nearly hit by the Duke. "That's it! Keep going!"  
  
"Is anything wrong?" Garnet asked, casting him a worried look as she picked up on his serious demeanor.  
  
Zidane gave a reassuring grin. "Of course not. Don't worry, I'll be back in time for the feast." Still concerned, Garnet watched his retreating form for a minute before turning her attention back to the play. Whatever it was, Zidane could handle it. Of that, she was sure.  
  
*******************  
  
Author's Notes: Finally! Gods, it seemed to take forever to write this chapter! But it was fun. A bit on the short side, but then, so was my prologue. I'll probably (emphasis on probably) write longer chapters, but it all depends on how long in between I've taken. I don't want you people to wait too long for new stuff. I honestly don't have any of this fic written out, so I'm not sure how I'm portraying all the characters yet. -_-; It's all planned out, though! Oh, and as a warning, most of the cannon characters (ie Eiko, Garnet, Amarant) are only making cameo apperences. But this is a Kuja fic, so its all about Kuja anyway! Omake is once again courtesy of Starling (ie Blame him, not me!). Go read our other fics!  
  
  
***Omake***  
  
"Where am I?" he mumbled.  
  
"You are not dead, if that is what you fear." the deep voice said, seeming to come from everywhere at once. It sounded amused. Finally Kuja recovered enough to stand. Pulling the last shreds of his dignity together, he turned to face the towering entity, whom he assumed was the source of the voice.  
  
"I was not scared. Death does not frighten me." he said cooly, cursing himself mentally even as he did so, "I'm a big boy now." Now he sounded defensive. Was there anything to add to his total humiliation?  
  
Diablos paused, then snickered. "A big boy now?"  
  
Kuja snickered, "Did I just say--"   
  
"Yes," Diablos answered, covering his mouth to ward off the giggles. Soon the two were laughing so hard they had to hold their sides in case the stitches came out and--  
  
"Cut! What was that, Kuja?!"  
  
"I'm a big boy now!" Kuja crowed, slapping his thigh. "Oh, that's rich."  
  
Diablos could only nod, wiping away at tears of mirth with a hanky he pulled out from ...somewhere.  
  
"Cut. -_-;; Let's try to remember the lines next time. Take 47!"  
  
***To Be Continued*** 


End file.
